Photos: Ancient Arrows from Reindeer Hunters Found in Norway

Ancient findings

Credit: secretsoftheice.com/Oppland County Council

As climate change melts the ice patches of Norway, artifacts from the past 6,000 years are being exposed. From 2006 to 2015, archaeologists collected more than 2,000 of these artifacts — mostly iron-tipped arrows from reindeer hunters — and dated 153 of them using radiocarbon dating.

In a new study, these dated artifacts have informed archaeologists about the number of people who came to Norway's mountainous regions in the past, and how these people hunted the reindeer there. In this photo, an archaeologist holds a roughly 1,400-year-old arrow found in the high mountains of Oppland, Norway. Hunters used this arrow during the Late Antique Little Ice Age. [Read more about the ancient reindeer hunters]

Mountain reindeer

Credit: Espen Finstad, secretsoftheice.com/Oppland County Council

When the weather is warm, reindeer gather on the ice and snow to avoid parasitic insects. Ancient hunters knew this and often hunted reindeer on the ice using bows and arrows.

Bronze Age shoe

Credit: Vegard Vike, Museum of Cultural history/University of Oslo

A shoe dating to 1300 B.C., one of the earliest discoveries from the ice in Oppland County.

Iron Age arrow

Credit: J. H. Barrett

An Iron Age arrow from the Norwegian mountain Trollsteinhøe.

Arrow vanes

Credit: J. H. Barrett

Arrow fletching from the Lendbreen ice patch: This fletching, or vanes, helped give the arrow stability as it flew through the air.

Systematic survey

Credit: Johan Wildhagen, Palookaville

The archaeologists surveyed the mountains systematically.

Walking stick

Credit: Vegard Vike, Museum of Cultural History/University of Oslo

A close-up photo of a runic inscription on a walking stick that was dated to the 11th century A.D.

Old tunic

Credit: Mårten Teigen, Museum of Cultural History/University of Oslo

The melting ice revealed this tunic, which was radiocarbon-dated to about A.D. 300.

Blue skies

Credit: J. H. Barrett

A reindeer in Oppland, Norway.

Norway-reindeer-10

Credit: secretsoftheice.com/Oppland County Council/Museum of Cultural History

An arrow that dates to about A.D. 800, the beginning of the Viking age.

Arrow close up

Credit: J. H. Barrett

An Ice Age arrow found in Trollsteinhøe, Norway.

Reindeer herd

Credit: J. H. Barrett

A reindeer herd crosses over an ice patch.

Wooden ski

Credit: Aud Hole, secretsoftheice.com/Oppland County Council

A wooden ski that dates to A.D. 700: This is the second ski on record in the world to have preserved binding.

As a senior writer for Live Science, Laura Geggel covers general science, including the environment and amazing animals. She has written for The New York Times, Scholastic, Popular Science and Spectrum, a site covering autism research. Laura grew up in Seattle and studied English literature and psychology at Washington University in St. Louis before completing her graduate degree in science writing at NYU. When not writing, you'll find Laura playing Ultimate Frisbee. Follow Laura on Google+.

Laura Geggel, Senior Writer
on

previous | next

Ancient findings

Credit: secretsoftheice.com/Oppland County Council

As climate change melts the ice patches of Norway, artifacts from the past 6,000 years are being exposed. From 2006 to 2015, archaeologists collected more than 2,000 of these artifacts — mostly iron-tipped arrows from reindeer hunters — and dated 153 of them using radiocarbon dating.

In a new study, these dated artifacts have informed archaeologists about the number of people who came to Norway's mountainous regions in the past, and how these people hunted the reindeer there. In this photo, an archaeologist holds a roughly 1,400-year-old arrow found in the high mountains of Oppland, Norway. Hunters used this arrow during the Late Antique Little Ice Age. [Read more about the ancient reindeer hunters]

Mountain reindeer

Credit: Espen Finstad, secretsoftheice.com/Oppland County Council

When the weather is warm, reindeer gather on the ice and snow to avoid parasitic insects. Ancient hunters knew this and often hunted reindeer on the ice using bows and arrows.

Bronze Age shoe

Credit: Vegard Vike, Museum of Cultural history/University of Oslo

A shoe dating to 1300 B.C., one of the earliest discoveries from the ice in Oppland County.

Iron Age arrow

Credit: J. H. Barrett

An Iron Age arrow from the Norwegian mountain Trollsteinhøe.

Arrow vanes

Credit: J. H. Barrett

Arrow fletching from the Lendbreen ice patch: This fletching, or vanes, helped give the arrow stability as it flew through the air.

Systematic survey

Credit: Johan Wildhagen, Palookaville

The archaeologists surveyed the mountains systematically.

Walking stick

Credit: Vegard Vike, Museum of Cultural History/University of Oslo

A close-up photo of a runic inscription on a walking stick that was dated to the 11th century A.D.

Old tunic

Credit: Mårten Teigen, Museum of Cultural History/University of Oslo

The melting ice revealed this tunic, which was radiocarbon-dated to about A.D. 300.

Blue skies

Credit: J. H. Barrett

A reindeer in Oppland, Norway.

Norway-reindeer-10

Credit: secretsoftheice.com/Oppland County Council/Museum of Cultural History

An arrow that dates to about A.D. 800, the beginning of the Viking age.

Arrow close up

Credit: J. H. Barrett

An Ice Age arrow found in Trollsteinhøe, Norway.

Reindeer herd

Credit: J. H. Barrett

A reindeer herd crosses over an ice patch.

Wooden ski

Credit: Aud Hole, secretsoftheice.com/Oppland County Council

A wooden ski that dates to A.D. 700: This is the second ski on record in the world to have preserved binding.